Background:
Camel meat tainted with heavy metal or trace elements may pose a health risk to consumers. Heavy metal contamination poses a severe danger due to both their toxicity and bioaccumulation in the food chain
Aim:
To estimate the residual levels of heavy metals (Co, Cr, Mn, Se and As) in muscle, liver, kidney, hair, and serum of three camel breeds (Magaheem, Maghateer, and Wadha) collected from Al-Omran abattoir, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Methods:
A total of 225 tissue samples (muscles, liver, kidney, serum, and hair) were taken and analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Health risk assessment was assessed using the guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Results:
Camel breed significantly (P < 0.05) influences Co, Cr, Mn, and Se accumulation and distribution in organs and muscle, however arsenic accumulation was not significantly affected (P < 0.05) by camel breeds. The highest values of Co, Cr, Se, and Mn in all examined samples were detected in the liver samples of Maghateer and Magaheem breeds. Furthermore, significant strong positive correlation between serum and liver cobalt, chromium, manganese and arsenic. The estimated daily intake (EDI) owing to camel meat consumption was less than the tolerated daily intake (TDI).
Conclusion:
Heavy metals were distributed among different breeds of camel. Trace elements (Pb and Cd) in meat and offal were below the international maximum permissible limit. The correlation between samples reflects the role of hair as a good tool for identification of heavy metal pollution.
Key words: Camel carcass, Toxic metals, Risk assessment
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